What's Behind Your Modern-Day Fireplace is Design Gold

Remember when we told you that cracked, peeling walls were actually chic? We've got good news: The same goes for fireplaces. Strip down your hearth to its bare bones—you know, the soot-stained brick and partially painted wood—and then leave it that way. No painting, no tiling, no nothing. But don't go thinking you can just leave dust bunnies in the corners and scuff marks on the baseboards. The walls should be bright, the floors clean, the furnishings refined. The more streamlined the rest of the space, the more of a statement your fireplace will make. Read on to see what we mean.

You never know what you could unearth under a cookie-cutter mantel. . .

This rustic fireplace surround in a Charleston home renovated by Serious Buildings is the look you're going for. By removing any distracting embellishments, the architectural details—no matter how subtle—will jump out.

An abstract painting by Tim Hussey is the perfect contrast to the stripped wood mantel.

Photo: Daniel Shea/Courtesy of Serious Buildings

Take off (most of) the paint and call the result your very own work of art.

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